Platoon Cultural Development

Platoon Cultural Development

ARCHITECTURE

BERLIN · TESTIFY!DIRECT ACTION, NOT A BLUFF

THU 15/03/2012

BERLIN · buildings, schools, libraries and our homes do not just draw a line between private and public or between inside and outside. architecture in general has much wider and deeper implications. you can discover that at the exhibition Testify! running at DAZ (an initiative of german architects) until the 18th of March, presenting a selection of works from all over the world and discussing them from a social, economical and environmental perspective.

25 projects with different backgrounds - from an open air cinema in Jenin, murals in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, to Skateistan, a skateboarding school in Kabul - but they all speak the same story about the consequences of architecture highlighted by construction workers, students, journalists, photographers, academics and politicians.

the story and the mission in not to come there, put the money on the table and build a glamourous building, then leave and proclaim it as a philanthropic act. the true heroics lies in the process itself, when it comes to patience, acceptance, involvement and passion. that is what it takes, when making such a profound and sincere intervention.

it is hard to convince and to motivate people for cooperation and their input, when they barely have something to eat or they even don't have a place to sleep. but exactly involvement and dialogue with local environment are the focal points of these projects, who seek to find the solutions, which on one hand add new quality to people´s livelihood and on the other hand still keep the continuity with their tradition, culture and identity.

direct action with taking the necessary responsibility, not just a bluff. this is what Testify! is all about.

ABOUT PLATOON

all social processes are determined by economic interests. attractiveness and consumability are expected and offered. everything is pleasant, entertaining, understandable, calculable and in conclusion: positive.

everything is 'attractive'.

this philosophy of service has infiltrated all areas of life. the resulting consumerism determines our thoughts, emotions and actions: our culture.

a shift in perception has occurred: illusion is becoming increasingly more beautiful and the reality uglier. reality is rejected and ignored. the illusion becomes a worldview.

'hyper-reality' arises.

within hyper-reality life is pleasant, comprehensible, entertaining and the risks are calculable: life is consumable.

and boring.

more and more people can't and won't submit to this illusion. life is not consumable. reality is on many levels the exact opposite: unpleasant, demanding, aggressive, incalculable, incomprehensible.

and interesting.

PLATOON does not ignore these ingredients of life but rather highlights them.

Submit Your Project

At PLATOON we are always scanning the activities of our worldwide network. Additionally, as there are so many interesting projects continuously in the making, we are inviting PLATOON MEMBERS to submit their works to our editorial team for possible features in the magazine and on the website.